Education bursaries, a live performance by a Singapore Idol, and a screening of two of Singapore’s latest movies – this was HomeTeamNS’ way of celebrating its landmark 10th Anniversary. Some 700 attendees consisting of youths and their families spent their Saturday afternoon at the associationâ€™s celebratory event that was held at The Joyden Hall at Bugis+.

At the event, Guest-of-Honour Mr Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and National Development, and newly-appointed President of HomeTeamNS announced that the association was once again supporting underprivileged students through the HomeTeamNS Education Bursary Awards 2015. This year, a total of 97 educational bursaries worth more than S$60,000 will be given out.

Ministry of Home Affairs Mr Desmond Lee admiring pictures found in the HomeTeamNS 10th anniversary book.

Since the introduction of the awards, HomeTeamNS has given out a total of $1.29m to over 2,000 recipients, as part of its efforts to build an inclusive community within the HomeTeamNS family.

Some of the recipients of the education bursaries shared about their plans for the money.

15 year-old Zsigmond Poh from Hwa Chong Institution was among the 97 students who won the HomeTeamNS Education Bursary Awards this year.Â He plans to use the $500 award towards paying for a new laptop, and also for Chinese enrichment class fees. Similarly, siblings Muhd Syahid bin Abu Bakar, 13, and his sister Aisya Abu Bakar, 8, plan to save a portion of the bursary and use the remainder for school expenses.

Mr Lee said: â€œWe have celebrated the contributions of Police and SCDF NSmen for many years. It is a significant milestone as today we see the fruits 10 yearsâ€™ worth of work by the team to show appreciation for our NSmen and their families. We want to make sure that our association can cater to the whole life-cycle of our NSmen, their families and their children.â€

In 2005, HomeTeamNS was formed as a merger between the former Singapore Police Association for National Servicemen and Singapore Civil Defence Association for National Servicemen. Its goal was to create a shared recreational environment for NSmen from both forces to build bonds through sports and social activities.

But the education bursary was not the only initiative that grabbed the attention of the attendees.

At the opening of the event, Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah made a soulful, first live performance of his latest single Izinkanku, which means â€˜allow meâ€™ in Malay. Incidentally, Taufik also performed 10 years ago as a young NSF when the HomeTeamNS association just began in 2005. Likewise, Beats Encore, the spirited percussion ensemble from Republic Polytechnic roared up the crowd with its energetic repetoire of samba rhythms.

HomeTeamNS also launched its 10 year anniversary book. A hardcover publication, the 10 Years of Stories anniversary book is a lively, pictorial volume, filled with quotes from Home Team NSmen past and present.

Attendees were also given the opportunity to watch a free screening of two of Singaporeâ€™s latest movies â€“ The Good Dinosaur and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay â€“ Part 2.